Parents in Angus say it is “horrendous” trying to make ends meet as Nicola Sturgeon warns the cost of living crisis will “undoubtedly” lead to deaths.
The first minister was visiting the free breakfast club at Lowson Memorial Church in Forfar to hear how spiralling food and fuel costs affect families in the area.
Parents at the club said getting free breakfasts each day has been a “lifeline” during the school summer holidays and said it has saved them a lot of worry.
During her visit Ms Sturgeon also called on the UK Government to take more action, and said Holyrood was doing everything it can to help families like those in Forfar.
Free breakfast club ‘a lifeline’
Mum-of-five Leanne Prophet, 41, says she has come to the breakfast club at the church every day during the school holidays and says she doesn’t know what she would have done without it.
She said: “The cost of living is horrendous, it is so hard.
“Coming here has been a lifeline for us because we can’t afford to go places.
“I know Angus Alive have done lots of stuff for free but because the buses are not always running we have to take the car and with the price of fuel I can’t do that.
“So coming here with the kids has been lovely.
“They get their breakfast, they get to play with their friends, and then they get their lunch away with them so it has saved me a fortune.”
She added she is worried about costs getting even higher over the winter months, but said she can rely on the community around her to help.
Ms Prophet said: “My four oldest children lost their dad in the December before the lockdown and then the pandemic made everything 100 times worse, but everyone here has really helped and supported us.
“I was so worried about how we were going to fill nearly seven weeks of holidays without spending an absolute fortune, but we have loved coming here.”
‘We will start to feel the pinch’
Stephanie Orr, 36, moved to Forfar during the pandemic with her three children.
Despite only having a baby six months ago, Ms Orr is having to consider going back to work to try and make ends meet.
She said: “I am quite fortunate in that only one of us has to work, but we will start to feel the pinch when our energy contract runs out.
“If our next contract is not fixed we will see a significant jump in costs and we don’t know what that means for us.”
“I don’t know if I will be able to stay at home with my baby.
“I might need to go out and work nights because of the cost of childcare during the day.”
She added: “I know a lot of the mums here say coming here is great because they can guarantee they all get breakfast.
“That is so horrible to hear from another mum.
“I have noticed my shopping bill going up from £80 to £110 and bread has gone from £1 to £1.20.
“That doesn’t seem much but it is a 20% increase and my partner’s wages are not going up by 20%.”
Sturgeon: ‘We are doing everything we can’
Speaking at the breakfast club in Forfar, Ms Sturgeon warned: “We are going to see an increase in deprivation and undoubtedly loss of life.
“And by October 30% of households will be in severe fuel poverty so we need to see the kind of urgent action we had at the start of the pandemic.”
She added: “The Scottish Government is doing everything it can to make sure we get money to those who need it.
“We are looking to extend the eligibility of the Scottish child payment and raise the value from £20 to £25 per child per week.
“We will also look at our budgets to see if we can change our priorities to direct resources to those in need.
“But we need action from the UK Government who have responsibility for tax welfare and regulating the energy market.”
A spokesman for the UK Government said: “We understand that people are struggling with rising prices which is why we have acted to protect the 8 million most vulnerable British families through at least £1,200 of direct payments this year with additional support for pensioners and those claiming disability benefits.
“Through our £37 billion support package we are also saving the typical employee over £330 a year through a tax cut in July, allowing people on Universal Credit to keep £1,000 more of what they earn and cutting fuel duty by 5p saving a typical family £100.”